Surreptitious video taken of women on the Dalhousie University campus has been posted online, prompting a police investigation.
Halifax Regional Police spokesman Const. Brian Palmeter said a student complained to university security and they passed the concern to police. He said the footage posted on YouTube was taken in public places around the campus.
“Two of the videos are a little more invasive as they show footage focused up women’s skirts,” he said yesterday.
The video is among 29 similar recordings uploaded to the website.
Police are trying to identify the women in the videos and find out who took and posted the footage. At that point police will consider laying charges, although it wasn’t clear if any actions were illegal.
Filming in public, even without the subject’s knowledge, is not against Canadian law.
“We view the videos as inappropriate and disconcerting,” Palmeter said.
He urged women to be aware of their surroundings and notify police if they see suspicious activity.
Dalhousie spokesman Charles Crosby said the university sent out an email security alert to all students. “It’s much like with the Sleepwatcher,” he said, referring to a series of reports of a man breaking into women’s homes to watch them sleep. “The role we can play is to remind people to stay safe and stay aware.”
Fourth-year Dalhousie student Leeanne Smith said the online footage is disturbing, but it shouldn’t be sensationalized.
“Are we going to be afraid and not have our freedom on campus?” she said. “I think it comes down to notions of respect and looking out for each other as a community.”
– with files from The Canadian Press
